Device for preventing the depression of railway-rail joints



(N0 MOdeLj W. LYON &1 J. B. GORRELL. DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THEDEPRESSION 0F RAILWAY RAIL JOINTS.

- Patented Dec. 27, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LYON AND JOHN B. GORRELL, OF LA OTTO, INDIANA.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THE DEPRESSION OF RAILWAY-RAIL JOINTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,423, dated December27, 1887.

Application filed September 19, 1887. Serial No. 250.085. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM LYON and JOHN B. GORRELL, citizens of theUnited States, residing at La Otto, in the county of to the ties.

Noble and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Devices for Preventing the Depression of Railway-RailJoints; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

This invention has relation to improvements in devices for sustainingand adjusting the meeting ends of railway-rails, and the novelty will befully understood from the following description and claims, when takenin connection with the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of a portion of a rail, showing our improvementsattached Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a rail, showing ourimprovements attached to the ties. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionalview taken on the lines 00 w of Fig. 2. ,Fig. 4-. is a sectional viewtaken on the lines yy of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view of the yoke removed,and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the wearplate removed.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A indicates a series ofrailway cross-ties.

1) indicates two sections of a railway-track, thejoints or meeting endsof which are shown at E. To provide against shrinkage and depression ofsaid meeting ends and for adjusting the same when depressed,we provide asustaining metallic bridge, F, and secure the ends thereof, by bolts orspikes, to the respective cross-ties that are arranged on the right andleft hand sides of the tie upon which the rails meet, as shown. Thismetallic bridge F is concave on its under surface and convex on itsupper surface longitudinally, and is provided with openings a, a, theupper portions of which are enlarged to receive screw-nuts c, as shown.

G represents a yoke, which consists of a strong rod of iron or steelbent in the form shown, and having its upper or free ends provided withscrew-threads to receive the nuts 0, in the manner shown on Fig. 3 ofthe drawings.

H represents a metallic shoe or wear-plate, which is passed under thecross-tie upon which the rails meet, and when thus arranged is claspedby the closed end of the yoke. arms of said yoke are passed upwardthrough the metallic bridge F and made secure in position by the nuts 0c.

When the several partsare arranged as described, it is obvious that byturning the nuts 0 on the threads'of the yoke the tie immediately underthejoints of the rails can be operated so as to raise and adjust saidjoints at will. It should be here observed that this metallic bridge issprung upward longitudinally for the greater portion of its length, andthat the vertical apertures are formed in the elevated or spring portionthereof. Thus it will be seen that there will be sufficient room beneaththis bridge for the rise and adjustment of the tie upon which themeeting ends of the rails rest. It will also be seen that when a tie hasbeen properly adjusted so as to bring the meeting ends of the rails inthe desired position there is little or no liability of the tie goingdown or the rail-joints depressing as long as the nuts and yoke remainunimpaired, as it is obvious that the bridge must yield longitudinallybefore a sag or depression will take place. provements might be appliedto old roads or rails as well as new ones.

In applying our improvements to old roads where the meeting ends of therails have become depressed after adjusting the yoke, we turn up thenuts a few times on the threaded ends thereof until the ties beneaththeir joints have been raised to the proper height, which, of course,will raise the joint of the rails, the concavity beneath allowing tiesof irregular form to rise to the desired elevation, consequentlyrequiring no care whatever in leveling the upper surface of the ties toadjust the bridge.

Another feature of construction to which we attach importance is the pinor stud in the stringers or beams, as it will be seen that while the tiebearing thereon will be allowed a vertical movement, it will bepositively prevented from moving either sidewise orlengthwise.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The combination,with a railway and the cross-tie thereof beneath the rail-joints, of aThe It is also obvious that our im-' sustaining-bridge, sprung or bowed,a yoke described, and bowed 0r sprung longitudiembracing the said tie,and nuts for adjusting nally, whereby the tie sustained by the yokes thesame, substantially as specified. may be adjusted when depressed by use,sub- 15 2. The combination, with the sustainingstantially as specified.5 bridge having apertures, as described, to re- In testimony whereof weaffix our signatures ceive the yoke and nuts thereon, of the yoke inpresence of two witnesses. having its ends threaded and adapted to em-WILLIAM LYON brace a cross-tie, and the nuts on the ends of JOHN BGORRELL the yoke, substantially as specified.

IO 3. As an improved article of manufacture, \Vitncsses:

a sustaining metallic bridge for application at M. H. STEWART,rail-joints and for similar uses, constructed as XVILLIAM F. MOYER.

